Emotional Intelligence or Emotional Quotient: Part 1 of 4

Emotional Intelligence or Emotional Quotient

Emotional Intelligence (EI) is a vital skill to have when developing your leadership style. It is your greatest tool that will help you perceive the impact of your presence within any given environment. Assessing your EI will help you to become aware of:

Perceiving the emotions of oneself and others.

Understanding the emotions of oneself and others.

Expressing the emotions of oneself and others.

Influencing the emotions of oneself and others.

Emotional Identification, Perception

Stay in touch with your feelings. Pay attention to what triggers them and how you react.

Pay attention to your body when you’re upset, sad or angry. What are the signs? Learning to recognize how you react in response to different sentiments can help you become more in tune with your emotions.

Be honest with yourself. Everyone feels things, and it’s nothing to hide or be nervous about. Emotions are important signals that we need to listen to in order to feel more fulfilled in life.

Get to know yourself better. For example, make a list of your strengths and limitations. The more in touch you are with who you are, the better you will be able to understand and handle your emotions.

Take small steps if you’re not used to expressing emotions. Start with those that are the least intimidating and you will surely find that it’s not as bad as you think. On the positive side, begin with genuine compliments and then take it further to an expression of appreciation. When you need to communicate a negative feeling, try writing it if you feel too intimidated to say it. Like learning any new skill, it will get easier with practice.

Consider the implications of not releasing your feelings. A lack of intimacy with others, pent up feelings, health problems, etc.

Remember that communication involves a lot more than what is just said. Our gestures, expressions and tone of voice send just as strong (or even stronger signals) than the words we choose, and can let us know how others are feeling (and lets other know how we are feeling).